Thank You's
by Liquid Fire KAN
Summary: Seventeen months later, she was a vice-captain... She still asked the dumbest questions. Then again, maybe some questions weren't so stupid after all. Now then, if only he could concentrate on his homework.


**Disclaimer: Bleach and all trademarks belong to Tite Kubo.**

**A/N: Random oneshot... Plot bunnies... Grr... I hated how this turned out. Nonetheless, it seems like a pretty plausible conversation between Ichigo and Rukia. I just suck at writing. **

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><p><strong>Thank You<strong>

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><p>"Ichigo?" a meek voice inquired from his closet.<p>

'Trying not to bother me, huh, Rukia?' Ichigo grinned, 'It doesn't suit you at all.'

He sighed, and she took it as her cue to continue, "Well, I was just wondering, what's November the Eleventh?"

Ichigo deadpanned; he was certain he had misheard. Rukia was a lot of things – annoying, short, violent, abusive, curious with the workings of the human world, and determined. She, however, was not stupid – quite far from, actually.

Sure, she wasn't well versed in the ways of his world, but it was to be expected. And she was trying. Every day, she would bombard him with questions on the most mundane of things. Even after seventeen months, that hadn't changed.

She hadn't changed at all – she was still Rukia with her dumb questions.

'What the hell… What's November the Eleventh?' Ichigo started, taken aback by her question, 'Why do you need to ask me…? Just check your calendar… Dumb midget…'

Grumbling incoherently, Ichigo returned his attention to his homework.

To be honest he didn't mind… The questions only served as a reminder after all. A reminder both of them needed quite often.

Because no matter how much he desired it or she yearned for it, it was a well-established fact that Rukia was as dead as a door nail. And after their little fiasco with the fullbringers, he was quite sure he was dead as well.

Human bodies did not twist that way.

So he was in a gigai now, huh?

Big effing deal – he couldn't care less. He was going to be the last person who would complain about being dead. It just made him that much more appreciative of Rukia and her stupid questions. Or perhaps that was just the separation talking.

He decided that he didn't know, and that he didn't care. Being dead, in his world was a good thing. The hollows, he could do without.

Glancing out the window, he waited for Rukia's soul pager to beep – he was getting antsy. Regardless of how much he complained, he secretly loved being a shinigami.

With his powers back, he was positively ecstatic.

That; and the dumb midget had taken up residence in his closet once more. He wasn't bothered by that in the least.

'Che,' he thought, 'what's there to be bothered about…? Everything is as it should be… It's like Aizen never happened… Like I never lost my powers… Like Rukia never left…'

A small smile played on his lips, 'That's right… It's like Rukia never left…'

Although he would never admit it aloud, that was what had made him happiest. His powers were one thing, Rukia was another.

His smile grew, as he nodded to himself, his eyes closed.

"Gah, what the hell!" he exclaimed as his forehead collided with something small, yet incredibly hard. Rukia leapt backwards, clutching her nose in the exact same instant. He groaned, "What the hell! Rukia! That hurt dammit!"

"Oh shut up Ichigo," she retorted, "My nose hurts too, you big baby! Anyways, your head is way harder than my nose, so this is your fault! Dumb strawberry!"

"Huh, what'd you say?" scowling, he glared at her, enjoying their playful banter, "Only someone incredibly stupid would stick their face in front of someone's forehead like that!"

"Asshole," Rukia fumed, "Do you know who I am?"

"Nope, not a clue… Pinocchio maybe?" he offered, regretting his comeback almost immediately. Rukia's foot collided with his shin, causing him to leap backwards, howling in pain.

She smirked superiorly, watching him stumble blindly for a few moments more, before falling onto his bed.

"Damn midget…" he grumbled.

"What'd you say?" she warned. 'Unbelievable… you still haven't learned not to argue with me, huh? It's alright, this is fun too.'

Ichigo gulped nervously, "Nothing… and November the Eleventh is a Friday…"

'Typical Rukia to ask such a stupid question,' he eyed his homework, now scattered all over his room, as it dawned on him, 'Unless she… meant…'

Rukia was asking about Remembrance Day. Now, he felt like the stupid one. No, he was the stupid one. Underestimating Rukia was a mistake he would never make again.

"I know that dummy… I would've just checked the calendar for that!" she sighed, "Ochi-sensei was telling us in class that Friday was something called Memory Day… Remembering Day… no that's not it either…"

"Remembrance Day," Ichigo exhaled sharply.

"Right… that… We have holidays in the Soul Society," Rukia began, "I've heard of Christmas before but…"

"You've never heard of Remembrance Day, have you?" Ichigo concluded as the raven haired girl inclined her head slightly in approval.

"Tch…" he grunted, "What a pain?"

"It's nothing" Ichigo said, noticing Rukia's perplexed expression, "It's just that…" he chuckled, "Umm, well I thought that even more so than Christmas, it would be this one day that Soul Society that would have in common with us…"

Rukia cocked her head to the side confused, 'It makes no sense… Christmas is the most well-known holiday… So why should we know about this day, when most in the Soul Society have never heard of Santa…?'

"Ichigo," she said.

"Hmmm?" he replied vaguely.

"What is Remembrance Day?" she asked firmly.

Pausing to stare up at his ceiling for a moment, Ichigo sighed, at a loss for words, "Umm… Well you see… It's kinda like this… There's war, right? And people fight in them, right?" he bit his lip, evidently struggling, "… Umm, so anyways, Remembrance Day is like this one day when people honor those who fought and died, and those who fought and survived… It's for those who gave their lives to protect us… That's the best explanation I can give."

Ichigo shuffled his feet as he stood, reaching for his papers on the floor. Rukia sat motionless on his bed; processing the information she had just been given.

A full ten minutes passed, and Ichigo was comfortably seated at his desk once more, before Rukia moved. She strode over to her closet.

"So then…" she wondered aloud, "Does that mean that all those people who died fighting hollows should be honored… Or that the shinigami still alive even should be honored?

"I suppose so," he amended.

The silence prevailed once again, until, "Thank you, Ichigo."

Rukia crawled into her closet, sliding the door behind her shut. Ichigo glanced up, "Thanks for what? Answering a question?"

"Not just for that…" her voice was muffled by the closet door; he strained to hear, "It's for fighting in the Winter War… It's important to say thanks right?" she paused, "And well, I don't suppose anyone ever thanked you… So…"

He swiveled around to face the shut closet door.

"Ah," he started on his homework.

'Thank you, Rukia…' he smiled, 'for everything.'

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><p><strong>AN: Nothing.**

**~ Ichiro**


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